FTF and gpl-violations release a guide to reporting and fixing licence violations

on: 2008-12-08

FSFE's Freedom Task Force (FTF) and GPL-Violations.org today released a guide to reporting and fixing licence compliance issues. This guide will help users and developers to deal with license violation reports. It explains how to make a report, what information is useful to include, and offers suggestions for how projects or businesses can deal with reports once they are received.

The guide is released as part of the strategic partnership between the FTF and GPL-Violations.org, who work together to improve licensing awareness and compliance in Europe. It is located on the new FTF website, http://www.fsfeurope.org/ftf/, along with information on how projects and businesses can get help with understanding Free Software licences. Translations into several European languages will be made available during coming weeks from the FTF website.

"The best way to solve compliance issues is to prevent them happening in the first place", says Shane Coughlan, FTF Coordinator. "We work to support this by educating the community at large. When problems do occur, we want people to be able to share information and resolve them effectively."

About the Freedom Task Force

The Freedom Task Force is a project run by Free Software Foundation
Europe to help people understand Free Software licensing and the
opportunities it presents. We offer educational services, facilitate
larger infrastructure activities and manage FSFE's legal affairs.
Our goals are to share knowledge about Free Software law, to
safeguard the interests of Free Software projects, to connect experts
in this field and to help other groups achieve similar goals. We
believe in positive, constructive dialogue and seek at all times to
support the long-term sustainability of Free Software.

About gpl-violations.org

In the past 40 months, gpl-violations.org has helped uncover and
negotiate more than 100 GPL violations and has obtained numerous
out-of-court settlement agreements. The gpl-violations.org project
is a not-for-profit effort to bring commercial users and vendors of
Free Software into compliance with the licence conditions as set
forth by the original authors. The project was founded and is
managed by Mr. Harald Welte, a Linux Kernel developer and Free
Software enthusiast.

About the Free Software Foundation Europe

The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit non-governmental
organisation active in many European countries and involved in many global
activities. Access to software determines participation in a digital society.
To secure equal participation in the information age, as well as freedom of
competition, the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is
dedicated to the furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use,
study, modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people Freedom by
supporting development of Free Software are central issues of the FSFE.

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About FSFE

Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to
control technology.

Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives. It is important
that this technology empowers rather than restricts us. Free Software
gives everybody the rights to use, understand, adapt and share software.
These rights help support other fundamental rights like freedom of
speech, freedom of press and privacy.